What a card: Hailey so proud as Juncker reads her ‘thank you’
A DUBLIN woman who sent a ‘thank you’ card to the president of the European Commission for defending Irish interests said she has neverfeltsoproudafter aphotoemergedofhim reading it.
Hailey Keirse (38), from Killiney, in south Dublin, sent the card to Jean-Claude Juncker when he refused to remove the backstop from the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
She feared Ireland would become a “whipping boy”, and the Good Friday Agreement would be at risk if the backstop was to be amended.
“Then I had the television on the next day when the EU said it was not up for negotiation and Jean-Claude Juncker stood up and said five words, he said ‘Ireland’s borders are the EU’s borders’,” she said.
“We’re just a small country but those words made it look mighty.”
She then decided to send a card directly to Mr Juncker after googling his address.
A photo has since emerged of Mr Juncker reading the card alongside Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – and Ms Keirse delighted people listening to Joe Duffy’s ‘Liveline’ programme where she told her story.
“I had intended to send one to Leo Varadkar as well but it costs €11 and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t have the money spare so I just sent it to Juncker. I’m not political, I’m not from a political party, I couldn’t even say if I am for Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or Labour,” she said.